Toyota Gazoo Racing has enlisted the talented Formula 1 veteran Nyck de Vries for the upcoming 2024 World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, to bolster its hypercar line-up. After a brief hiatus following his departure from AlphaTauri, de Vries is set to make a strong comeback, taking the wheel of the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid.
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The Dutch driver will step into the shoes of José Maria Lopez, securing a spot in the #7 machine alongside Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway. Lopez, a two-time champion and Le Mans winner, transitions to the LMGT3 category and maintains his ties to the Toyota family.
Despite losing his Formula 1 seat, de Vries remains a formidable force, signing up not only for the WEC but also committing to a full Formula E season with the Mahindra Racing. The 28-year-old previously won the Season 7 of the series with Mercedes.
His return to Toyota marks a new chapter, having previously served as a reserve driver from 2020 to 2022. The decision to enlist de Vries aligns with a common trend of drivers participating in both Formula E and WEC campaigns, echoing the successes of drivers like Sebastien Buemi, who has claimed titles in both categ.
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“I am super excited to be returning to endurance racing, especially with Toyota Gazoo Racing,” expressed de Vries. “Endurance racing is something that I have always enjoyed, and it is a discipline with incredible momentum at the moment.”
de Vries voiced his eagerness to collaborate with his teammates by saying “I am very much looking forward to sharing car #7 with both Mike and Kamui. They are both very talented drivers who achieved a lot, and I am sure we will make a great team.”
Toyota WEC Vice Chairman Kazuki Nakajima sees this transition as an opportunity to bridge the gap between experienced and younger drivers. “I want to create a system that allows experienced drivers to give feedback to younger drivers, just as José will be driving in WEC GT3,” Nakajima noted. Vice Chairman also announced the rebranding of the WEC Challenge Program to the TGR Global Driver Challenge Program.
Photo credit: Toyota Gazoo Racing
